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PolitiJax: Curry gets another term as leader of Florida GOP

Republican Party of Florida Chairman Lenny Curry’s re-election bid is a done deal.

Curry, who also leads the Duval County GOP, has no opponent and almost every big-name member of Florida’s GOP establishment is supporting him.

Party officials have praised Curry for bringing stability after the chairmanship of Jim Greer, who faces charges of funneling state GOP money to a fundraising firm he started, which he denies.

Party leaders will take a chairmanship vote this Saturday at the state GOP’s annual meeting in Orlando.

Matt Dixon

Lower cost seen for new elections office

The Jacksonville City Council’s Rules Committee adopted a new version Wednesday of legislation to authorize building the new elections office that lowers the maximum price tag from $8 million to $6 million.

Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland had said about $6 million would cover it, but Rules Chairman Clay Yarborough had used a higher figure as a midpoint between that and the $10 million the Mayor’s Office had estimated.

Yarborough said the lower cost reflects cut-rate pricing by contractors hungry for work. He said the project could be paid off in five years. The original bill had envisioned borrowing $4.8 million, but drops that to $2.8 million.

The bill calls for building the office at 816 W. Union St., land the city owns after financing a never-opened jazz restaurant, which handed over the deed instead of making repayment.

Steve Patterson

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